Hazing Incidents Remain Low in Westwood

School administrators in Westwood have been hard at work during the last year in the school system to accommodate state mandates. 

But while it's been just under a year since the school system has maintained a no-hazing policy for years. 

The issue of hazing was placed in the spotlight this week, after for an alleged hazing incident involving the Andover High School boys varsity basketball team during a summer basketball camp last July.  

That incident alleged a number of violations of policies in connection with the incident. 

But the issue of hazing has not been a problem for Westwood in recent years, said Westwood Superintendent John Antonucci. 

"It has not been a problem," he said. "We've had nothing of the level it sounds like in Andover. At the same time, we all need to be vigilant about it. You kind of have to have a zero-tolerance policy about this." 

Hazing is outlined in the students' handbook, as well as in a prohibition policy of the Westwood School Committee. 

"We certainly have policies in place that prohibit it," Antonucci said. "We do have a pretty thorough prohibition of hazing."

The School Committee policy states that "no student, employee or school organization under the control of the School Committee shall engage in the activity of hazing a student while on or off school property, or at a school sponsored event regardless of the location."

The School Committee's policy also asks that students who see anything appearing to be a "hazing incident" should report said incident to the principal with specific details. 

The Westwood High School 2011-2012 student handbook states that anyone who has taken part in hazing or helped organize such an incident would be punished by a fine and/or imprisonment. 

"Hazing is prohibited by Massachusetts state law and is forbidden at Westwood High School," the handbook states. "The law defines hazing as 'any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization....which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person.'"

The handbook provides the following examples as incidents deemed to be hazing: beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor or beverage, drug or other substances or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which physically endangers someone or subjects them to extreme mental stress.